RS3

STORY

The RS 3 arrived in 2011 as a Sportback only, developed by quattro GmbH around a 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo of 250 kW (340 PS) and 450 Nm, priced in Germany from 49,900 euros. The 8V car of 2015 raised that to 270 kW (367 PS), and in September 2016 Audi showed an RS 3 Sedan in Paris with a redesigned 2.5 TFSI: 294 kW (400 PS), an engine 26 kg lighter, 18 kg of that from its aluminium crankcase, and the version that finally took the line to the United States. The 8Y of 2021 kept 400 PS but added an RS torque splitter, the first fitted to an Audi, able to push up to 1,750 Nm to the outer rear wheel. On 21 June 2024 Audi announced a 7:33.123 Nordschleife lap set by Frank Stippler in a pre-series car, two months before the updated RS 3 was presented that August with a 290 km/h top speed.